Consulate News
Christmas Celebrations and Annual General Meeting by
Kerala Cultural Association of British Columbia
Kerala Cultural Association of British Columbia held Christmas Celebrations and Annual General Meeting event at Bollywood
Banquet Hall, Surrey on Saturday, December 09, 2017.
Smt Abhilasha Joshi, Consul General, Consulate General of India, Vancouver, was the Chief Guest at the event and inaugurated
the function in the traditional style by lighting the lamp (Diya). Smt Joshi addressed the audience and congratulated the
organizers and performers and wished them on the occasion of Christmas and New Year. She lauded the efforts of KCABC in
promoting cultural harmony and goodwill amongst members of the Indian diaspora as well as with the larger Canadian
community. The event comprised cultural performances and Indian cuisine with participation of about 150 members of the
community.

National Teachers’ Congress foundation
MIT Campus S. No-124 Paud Road, Kothrud,
Pune-411038
(January 10 – 12, 2018)
The MIT World Peace University, Pune is organising the second National Teachers Congress in Pune from January 10 – 12, 2018.
The event has the support of Government of Maharashtra.
2. The National Teachers' Congress (NTC) has been conceptualized with an objective to inspire teachers of Higher Education
(under-graduate and post-graduate colleges) from across the nation. Through extensive deliberations and dialogues of 3 days,
NTC aim to ignite the spirit of over 8,000 teachers every year so that they continue to look beyond the commercial temptations
for creating deeper and wider impact on the society through this noble profession.
3. Over a thousand teachers from India and teachers/professors of Indian origin teaching in foreign universities are expected to
participate in the event. The event will provide an opportunity to share their experiences and ideas with their contemporaries
in India.
4. Contact details are as below for registration and more information:
Phone: +91 88888 15424/25
Email: info@nationalteacherscongress.com & info.ntc@mitwpu.edu.in
Website: http://nationalteacherscongress.com
Online registration:
http://www.indusfood.co.in/buyer

Trade Promotion Council of India with the support of Dept. of Commerce, Govt. of India is organizing the flagship international
food show cum Reverse Buyer Seller Meet – “Indus Food” at India Exposition Centre, Greater Noida India.
The is the largest of its kind food export promotion event organized in India with supported by Department of Commerce with
over 400 plus Indian Food & Beverage Manufacturers and Exporters exhibiting and over 500 pre-screened hosted buyers invited
from across the world. Indus Food shall be the most significant and vital platform for global food buyers to source, network &
connect with Indian Food & Beverage industry with a large and diversified choice.
The event zone wise segregation for the exhibitors to specifically participate and show case their products of their respective
segments covering all 12 product segments from consumer food, dairy products, marine, meat & poultry to Indian ethnic Food
all under one roof.
Interested members may kindly contact:
For Exhibitor Participation: Deepak Vohra | +91 9205883437 | exhibit.indusfood@tpci.in
For Strategic Partnership & Sponsorship: Sandip Das | +91 9205883429 | info.indusfood@tpci.in
For Buyer Nomination: Rohan Chopra | +91 9205883430 | buyer.indusfood@tpci.in
Also visit www.indusfood.co.in for more information.

News from India
1. India Plays Host to Biggest Ever Edition of Global Conference on Cyber Space
During the keynote address at the Global Conference on Cyber Space, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the role of
digital technology as the great leveler. He listed the ways in which Digital India, world’s largest technology-led programme,
made service delivery and governance more efficient and empowered citizens.“Through better targeting of subsidies, the JAM
trinity has prevented leakages to the tune of nearly ten billion dollars so far” – PM Modi’s Speech at the inauguration of Global
Conference on Cyber Space - Click here to read more…
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Vol. 01, Issue. 15, December 15, 2017.
2. Five reasons why GST is good for business
The Goods and Service Tax came into effect from July 1, 2017. It subsumes eight taxes at the Central level and nine taxes at the
State level. The one nation, one tax system is expected to improve India’s competitiveness. Steps like a more transparent and
comprehensive system of tax credits throughout the value-chain will reduce the cost of locally made goods and services.
Uniform tax rates and structures across all States and Union Territories are expected to reduce multiplicity of taxes and
compliance costs. There are four tax rates under GST: 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%. Exceptions include goods and services in the list of
exempted items. The composition scheme brings greater simplicity and reduces the cost of compliance for small businesses. A
key feature of GST is the existence of a robust IT system for online registration, payment and filing of taxes for easier compliance

3. India can lead the fight against climate change with energy efficiency
India completes two years of signing the Paris Agreement this December and the world is sitting up and noticing our sincere
efforts in mitigating climate change. For a developing country like India, there is no doubt that our commitments are ambitious,
but our endeavors are not far behind. Our efforts in energy conservation have been commended globally. According to the
International Energy Agency (IEA), India’s renewable energy capacity is likely to grow more than twice its current state by 2022,
making it enough to overtake renewable expansion in the European Union for the first time.
Looking at the success of India’s programmes, multilateral organizations like World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the
Global Environment Facility have come forward to fund the energy efficiency initiatives in the country and, today, these funds
are being utilized to create an innovative revolving fund that is self-sustaining, unlike a direct line of credit.
(Saurabh Kumar, Energy World, Thu, 14 Dec, 01:42pm)

4. Meet the youngest female commander of a Boeing 777
Becoming a pilot is far from easy, but challenging gender stereotypes and becoming a female aviator is even harder. This didn't
stop Indian pilot Anny Divya from trailblazing her way to the top. Thirty-year-old Divya is now the youngest female commander
of a Boeing 777 aircraft in the world. Divya holds the high position with Air India -- the culmination of a childhood dream of flying
the skies.
(cnn, Myjoyonline.com, Tue, 12 Dec, 01:16pm)

5. Cancer cure: Made in India— a cancer curing drug molecule
In a first, 24 researchers from several labs have designed and synthesized ‘Disarib’, a drug which induces the death of cancer
cells, and carried out preliminary tests as well. It has been patented, a first for a home-grown drug, developed for targeted
therapy of cancer. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), New Delhi, has approved this collaborative effort to produce the
first home-grown drug, which has been found to be better than the one (Codenamed ABT199) approved by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) of the United States, for it does not set off any side effects.
(B.R. Srikanth, Asian Age, Sun, 10 Dec, 03:14pm)

6. Scientists develop simple machine to clear weed
The simple and stylish weeding machine at Ulsoor lake has left many onlookers awestruck. The machine is more so unique as it
uses the engine of the outdated, yet popular Maruti- 800 car. The scientists from National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL),
civilian aerospace R&D laboratory have designed this weed cutting machine called airboat over the past three months. They are
now testing it at the MEG side of Ulsoor Lake. Apart from clearing weeds, the machine can also clear floating waste. The
machine can also be used as weed cutter and to transport people in marshy terrain.
(Deccan Herald, Thu, 14 Dec, 03:37pm)

7. IIT Kharagpur students develop 'SleepDoc'; win first Accenture innovation challenge
The students from IIT Kharagpur swept away the grand prize at the first 'Accenture Innovation Challenge' with their sleep
assistant which monitors sleep patterns remotely through a wireless device. The competition was organised by global
professional services Accenture. Other winners included teams from Dronacharya Group of Institution, Noida, Indian Institute
of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, IIT Roorkee, Shri Vishnu Engineering College for Women, Bhimavaram
and IIT Madras. The challenge, which was designed to inspire innovation among college students in the country, saw
participation from over 13,000 students who were representing 900 colleges from across the country. Participants submitted
over 7,000 innovation ideas, informed Mohan Sekhar, Senior Managing Director, Accenture Technology Services.
(Anisha Singh, NDTV, Tue, 12 Dec, 03:17pm)

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Vol. 01, Issue. 15, December 15, 2017.
8. Air Purifier Created by Indian American Listed in Top 25 Inventions of 2017
A device invented by an Indian American professor Yogi Goswami has been named as world’s first air purifier that completely
destroys harmful pollutants. The air purifier, called Molekule, has been featured in the list of top 25 inventions of 2017 by Time
magazine. Each unit costs $800 (approx. Rs 51,500). They raised $10.10 million in Series A funding earlier this year. “During the
Northern California wildfires, we exhausted our entire inventory in two weeks,” Jaya said.
(Little India Desk, Little India, Mon, 11 Dec, 02:28pm)

9. India’s first woman photojournalist Homai Vyarawalla gets her Google Doodle
Search engine giant, Google, paid homage to India's first woman photojournalist, Homai Vyarawalla, on Saturday with a doodle
on her 104th birth anniversary. Born on December 9, 1913, to a Parsi family in Gujarat’s Navsari, Vyarawalla spent her childhood
moving from place to place with her father's travelling theatre company. After moving to Bombay, she studied at Bombay
University and the Sir J. J. School of Art and later married to Manekshaw Jamshetji Vyarawalla, an accountant and photographer
for the Times of India. Vyarawalla started her career in the 1930s, and at the onset of the World War II, she started working on
assignments for the Bombay-based The Illustrated Weekly of India magazine which published many of her black and white
images that later became iconic. Vyarawalla, who learned to operate a camera and the art of photography from her husband,
decided to become a photographer at a time when the idea of women working was yet to get traction in the society. She was
awarded the second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan in 2011.
(Times Now, Sun, 10 Dec, 12:29pm)